


Devil Eyes

by Haunted_Moonlight, Vilteofhope



Series: Rain [1]
Category: Darkiplier-fandom, Markiplier-fandom, Youtube RPF
Genre: Alcohol Abuse, Also part of the Rain Series, Gen, Mild Child abuse warning, Mild Language, Not a part of WKM cannon, Well prequel to it anyway, Will periodically appear in this work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 09:05:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17261423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haunted_Moonlight/pseuds/Haunted_Moonlight, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vilteofhope/pseuds/Vilteofhope
Summary: Prequel to the Rain series being written by Haunted_Moonlight and I.  Please see that series for more information regarding Braeden O'Donnell and a certain stray he eventually picks up.There are terrible people in the world, and Dark, AKA, Braeden O'Donnell, is no exception to this rule.  However, behind even the most cruel of people, there is a story.  Although the story may not justify the people and their actions, sometimes it is nice to get a bit of insight as to what makes them tick.  This is part one of a series that occurs before the Rain series, but eventually it will catch up to the rest of it.





	Devil Eyes

“Oh, where is that blasted child?!” The sound of an annoyed woman’s voice bellowed through the run down duplex as she slammed a pan down, smashing a cockroach. “Ugh! Glenn, the damn bugs are back, too!”

“What do you want me to do about it, Rosie?!” A male voice shouted back, though the words came out slurred. “And if you’re so worried, why don’t you go track down Devil Eyes yourself? He’s your kid.” A pause as he hiccupped. “He’s probably out in the alley, playing with another flea ridden cat or something.”

The woman huffed and rolled her eyes. She slammed the pan once more, smashing another cockroach. She then went to a side screen door and shouted.

“Braeden, come inside and get your dinner!”

The preteen was, indeed, out cuddling a cat, as was expected. His fingers lightly brushed through its coat, admiring its tabby brown and tan markings. The cat lightly purred, closing its emerald green eyes. Some small comfort in this world. Sometimes, he wished that he could become a cat and run away. Sure, scrounging for scraps in a trash can was less than glamorous, but neither was his current life.

He planned to ignore his so called mother. However, he heard footsteps pounding into the ground behind him, followed by the feeling of a hand roughly grabbing his arm.   
“Put that mangy beast down!”

He hesitated for a moment before complying, mostly so the poor cat had a chance to not be kicked, like so many others before in similar situations. He was dragged into his house and shoved into a chair at the kitchen table.

“Next time, do as you’re told the first time.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He muttered as he waited for his food to be served. He knew not to reach for the serving spoon himself. After all, best not to upset his mother. Or his father, for that matter. He resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose and gag as he sat beside him, reeking of cheap booze and stale, cheap cigarettes. It was not unlike most days, except for the fact that today he had started before 6 PM, rather than 7PM. Obviously, he had had a rough day in the factory he worked at. Braeden hated days like today. 

“You were right, Glenn. I caught Devil Eyes with another one of those filthy beasts in the alley. Wouldn’t be surprised if we got a flea infestation on top of the roaches.”

Devil Eyes… Always that term… Devil Eyes, spat out as if he could help what he was born with any less than he could help the fact he was the son of a whore. Or, so his father affectionately called him. Though, honestly, if it was up to him, he would not be saddled with the child that wasn’t even his. Again, a fact that Braeden was all too aware of. Every day he’d get at least a half dozen reminders. Just like he’d get constant reminders of the tint of red his dark brown eyes had. His father and mother called it Hellish, and most kids in his class steered clear of him. Despite the fact he was made to feel badly about them, he held a certain amount of pride in them. After all, who else had such eyes? No one he ever knew of. It made him unique, special. Besides that, there were a rare few who would actually look and smile at the genetic mutation. Those were the few that the otherwise quiet child would give a faint smile to, and sometimes strike up a conversation. He also admitted that he was at the age where he liked the power they had over the occasional female who would swoon, both at his smile and his eyes. He didn’t feel an attraction (another defect, he supposed), but he loved the sense of power over something in his wretched life, even if it was only fleeting.

“I keep telling you you’re going to wind up getting rabies from those disgusting furballs!” Another hiccup.

Braeden said nothing, again, and started to eat once he was served his dinner, biting back a comment. He stared into his dinner for a moment with a look that might have set the whole thing ablaze before looking up, giving the faintest smile.

“You did tell me that they also would make a good source of meat if we were in a pinch, so why not make them feel comfortable for now?”

Glenn blinked at his child before laughing. “You are a smart one, aren’t you?” He grinned, looking at Rosie. “He gets it from you. Along with those eyes.” He paused and looked over at his adopted child, looking right into his eyes. The preteen maintained eye contact for a moment before slowly looking down. 

“Damn, Rosie! I think they got redder!” He paused and covered his mouth as a burp rumbled through his stomach. “Probably a punishment for what you did.”

“Stop it!” His mother stood up from her chair, slamming her fists down on the table. “You think I wanted this life for us?!”

Great… Time to leave.

Braeden quietly excused himself from the table and scurried out of the kitchen as the words exchanged between his parents became louder and more vulgar, his dinner left abandoned. However, instead of going to hide in his room, he exited the duplex entirely, flinching when he heard glass shatter in the kitchen. He hesitated a moment before quickly closing the door behind him and running back into the alley. 

He slid into a back corner, making sure the shadows would hide him. Sad how he always felt safer in the darkness than in the light. He curled his knees into his chest and put his head down in his arms, whimpering softly. Don’t cry… Don’t cry… Be a man about it.

He took a few shuddering breaths before looking up. That was when he spotted the tabby cat from earlier approaching his corner. The cat gave a soft mew upon spotting his companion and began rubbing his legs, purring softly. A faint smile traced across the raven haired preteen’s face, red eyes locking with emerald as the cat looked up momentarily before rubbing against him once more and purring. He reached a hand out and began petting its head before scooping it in his arms and continuing to stroke its head. The cat continued purring and rubbed his head against his hand. He gave a faint smile, continuing to pet the cat as a heavy rain began to fall. 

“You are a good boy.” He whispered, guarding it from the rain as best as he could.

He quickly fell silent, hearing the slamming of the side door, followed by high heeled footsteps stomping. “Braeden, where the Hell did you go?!” 

His grip on the cat tightened as his heart began to race. He cowered deeper into the corner. He watched as she looked around before beginning to approach him. He bit his lip and stood up, knowing he had been seen. However, he maintained his grip on the cat, wincing when he felt claws dig into his flesh. Poor thing must be sensing his nerves. The cat hissed as its companion stepped into the dim street lighting in the alley. 

“I told you to get rid of that thing!” His mother stomped over, further infuriated by her son’s refusal to put the animal down. “Do it NOW!”

The preteen maintained his grip, his heart and breathing beginning to race. He remained planted in place as his mother approached. She gave a startled yelp as her heel broke, causing her to stumble and fall right into a pair of metal trash cans. The cat gave a startled screech, clinging tighter to his companion, who took the chance to run out of the alley and down the street. He didn’t know where he was going, nor did he care. He just wanted to get away from the place he was forced to call home.

He eventually stopped when he reached a small café. He hesitated a moment before hurrying inside, the tears he had tried so hard to prevent from falling now streaming down his face. His cat companion remained firmly attached to his shirt. He took a seat in a booth, drawing in deep, shaking breaths. A gentleman in a button down shirt and black pants with an apron secured tightly around his waist approached. 

“Hey, kid. Are you ok? Is someone giving you trouble?”

Braeden refused to look up and stroked his cat’s fur. “I … I just need somewhere for my cat and I. We’re both trying to get out of the rain.” He sniffled and drew in a deep, shaking breath. 

“Where are your parents?” The gentleman frowned. 

“I don’t… I mean, I have parents, but…” He noticed the waiter’s eyes widen at the sight of a bruise that had made itself known when his sleeve lifted up and quickly tugged it down. “Sorry. I don’t want… I don’t mean to cause trouble. I just don’t want to go back home right now. I don’t live far, though. I’ll… I’ll go back after the storm is done.”  
The waiter hesitated for a moment before nodding. “It’s no problem. Let me see if I can get you and your cat some towels or something to dry off.”

Braeden continued to take deep breaths and slowly collect himself once more. He wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked up, however, when an older man in a suit and tie sat across from him. Although the man’s face seemed warm and pleasant, there was something that seemed to be just below the surface that made the hair on the back of the boy’s neck stand up.

“Hey, the waiter over there told me about your situation. He said you might be in some trouble.” Braeden remained silent and looked down at the tabby in his arms. The man looked around before speaking once more.

“I’m not going to pry or anything, but if you are in trouble, know that this is a safe place. I own it, and I make sure that everyone who steps in the door for whatever reason feels safe. My name is Nioclas Carmody. Most people here call me Nick.” The preteen forced a faint smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Nick.” He paused. “Where are you from?” He noted the accent in the man’s voice.

“I am from Ireland.” The man paused. “Would you like something to eat or drink? It’s on the house.” He looked down, giving a small smile. “That includes your feline companion.”

Braeden hesitated a moment, remembering the few bites of dinner he had had before tearing out of his house. It had been the first form of sustenance he had had that day, and even though his belly growled, he didn’t know if it was ok for him to accept. Wouldn’t his parents be angry for what they would surely call stealing food? Then again, he wasn’t sure that they would want him back in the house ever again, or that they were even looking for him at all. Had they even realized he’d slipped out? Well, obviously his mother had, but did they even care? 

“Thank you, sir, but I really shouldn’t.” He paused, looking down at the cat now laying comfortably, curled up in his lap. “But if you have some left over scraps, I’m sure Lorcan would appreciate it.”

“Nonsense, I insist.” The older man called to the waiter. “Please give this young man the house special along with whatever he wishes to drink, and make sure his feline companion has a nice little plate of meat or fish. Whatever we have.”

Braeden’s eyes went wide as saucers after the gentleman spoke. “No, I mean. For the cat, yes. But I… I really shouldn’t, thank you. My parents will be really angry with me if they know I’m running around town, stealing food from strangers. I really shouldn’t.”

Nioclas observed the other for a moment, watching him as he nervously began to pet his cat. “Young man, what is your name?”

“Braeden, sir.” He looked up. Nioclas sighed.

“Braeden, let me tell you something. I’m an old man, yes? I’ve seen some things. More than the average person has, perhaps. I don’t know what you were running from, but I have a good enough idea that it was something serious, judging by the way you came in here. Not to mention the condition of your pet. You don’t have to say what it was, but please accept my kindness. If your parents are going to be upset, well, then let them be upset. How well do they treat you, anyway?”

Braeden bit his lip and looked down once more. He didn’t speak. Couldn’t speak. After all, what happened in his family was strictly the business of members of the household.

“Judging by your body language, I have to assume not well.” He paused before speaking once more. “You know, I could make it so you never have to return to that place, if you want to escape. But for now, please accept the meal, and, if you wish, a warm place to keep you out of the storm for the night.”

Braeden hesitated, fidgeting a bit. Lorcan cuddled further into his lap, beginning to purr. Finally, after a few moments, the young man spoke.

“Ok. Dinner, and a place for the night.” Lord knew if home was safe tonight, anyway, and besides, the last thing he wanted was for Lorcan to be out in the storm. “Thank you, sir.”

“Like I said, I make sure everyone who walks through the doors of this restaurant feels safe.”

After a while, Braeden was served his dinner. He woke up Lorcan and placed the small dish of meat for him and a saucer of water on the floor. At first, Lorcan gave him a dirty look for daring to be awoken. However, once he saw why, he happily hopped out of his adoptive owner’s lap and began to munch away at the food presented to him. Braeden smiled a bit at his feline companion’s antics before starting to eat as well. Sure enough, the food was wonderful, and was a much needed relief from the negative feelings he had.


End file.
